What Separates Me and You

Chapter 333 Love Shouldn’t Come In Shackles

Josephine shook her head. She didn’t want a present.

“What is your New Year’s resolution, then?”

She thought about it for a while before signing, “I want you to get better.”

Lewis was slightly taken aback, the intensity of his gaze deepening. “What else?”

“And to be with you forever.”

Lewis chuckled. The younger she got, the harder it was for her to hide her real thoughts. Her inclination

to blurt out whatever she had in mind now amused him.

Josephine couldn’t understand the meaning behind his smile, but as he ceased to explain, she could

only purse her lips and accompany him as he received his IV treatment.

She had no phone, but being by his side was hardly mundane.

Lewis switched on the TV, and she leaned against the headboard as they watched the New Year’s gala

on screen.

The crackling fireworks outside were almost hypnotic by now, their incessant rhythm and the chatter on

the television gradually lulling her to sleep.

Lewis switched off the lights, leaving only the white glow of the television and its muffled sound filling

the room’s emptiness.

If he tilted his head at just the right angle, he could see her face through the dim lighting surrounding

them both, her head resting on his shoulder as she slept soundly. The weight of her face was light on

him-perhaps a result of her mindfulness of his injuries. Strands of hair fell on her cheeks as well, and

he tucked them back behind her ear gently.

The next day, Gerald and Conrad came by to see the two.

Gerald carried a large fruit basket adorned in red, complete with his equally vibrant

a radiant smile on his face. “Happy New Year, Chairman Alvarez.”

outfit and

Conrad placed the breakfast he had brought on the table as well. “I just asked the doctor about your

recovery, Chairman Alvarez, and he said you’re recovering well. You can return home. after a few more

days of observation in the hospital.”

Lewis glanced at him briefly. “What about Seth?”

Conrad, too, was startled by his sudden question. It seemed that Seth was nowhere to be found since

they’d returned from the island.

“I don’t know. Maybe he went back to Elysium?” he replied.

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Lewis frowned, a thoughtful expression crossing his face, though none of them could tell what was

going on in his mind.

Conrad pulled out his phone. “Let me get in touch with him.” As he spoke, he dialed Seth’s number and

waited for the call to connect.

“He’s not picking up,” he reported shortly after.

Lewis nodded, dismissing him.

Conrad gestured to Gerald before turning to leave the ward with the latter.

It was New Year’s Day, and the streets were abuzz with life. Parades swathed the streets in vivid

colors, but none of it was visible from the hospital room. Josephine leaned against the window

curiously, peering downward. Despite not being able to see anything, she could hear the sound of

drums and a band not that far away from them.

Having just finished his IV infusion, Lewis pulled the needle tip out and changed into a fresh set of

clothes.

He walked over to her side, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her into his embrace.

“What’s there to see here? Come, let’s go outside.”

Josephine lifted her gaze and shook her head frantically.

Lewis sighed. “Didn’t you hear what Conrad said just now? He said I could be discharged.”

A hint of confusion flickered in her eyes, but she did not question it any further. It really seemed that

Conrad had said something similar, but she hadn’t been paying that much

attention.

Lewis did not waste any more time reasoning with her. He laced his fingers through hers and

pulled her out of the room.

As the two snuck out of the hospital, they managed to call a cab to Elysium’s busiest area-

Ecstasia.

The crowd was thick, packed to the point where any form of movement was simply impossible. It had

been too long since Josephine had last been amid a crowd so raucous, so she gripped Lewis’ hand

tightly, afraid that they would be separated from each other.

Contrary to his usual attire, Lewis was dressed in a loose black hoodie today, similar to the outfits worn

by many other guys they’d passed on their way. Yet, his attractiveness still stood. out despite the

volume of the crowd.

Josephine fixed her gaze on his tall, slender figure as she followed him through the jam- packed

queues, a smile gracing her lips.

He’d gotten VIP tickets for the both of them, granting them a swift access, devoid of lines and waits.

Ecstasia was very large, consisting of various amusement rides and quaint, scenic spots.

Because of Lewis’ injuries, the two of them avoided the more thrilling rides and opted to visit the

picturesque attractions instead.

Their first stop was the tulip field, reachable only by bus. They were fortunate enough to snag the only

two available seats when they boarded the bus.

What surprised them was that the bus passengers did not simply include young tourists but rather a

few other elderly people as well.

The

group chatted and laughed, led by a female tour guide who seemed to be in her thirties and was

currently explaining their next stop to them. Their conspicuously white hair and presbyopic reading

glasses stood out, against all odds.

There was also an elderly couple who were seated across from them, their hands firmly joined despite

their age.

Josephine caught sight of the saccharine happiness radiating from their faces, her grip on Lewis

tightening imperceptibly.

Lewis did not break free from her hold-instead, he wrapped her hand in his and gently caressed the

back of her palms.

“Married or dating?” The old woman couldn’t hide her smile any longer as she observed their

interaction.

Josephine froze, scarcely knowing how to respond.

To her, marriage felt beyond distant. As for dating, she couldn’t quite understand that term either.

Lewis glanced at the elderly woman’s smile, the blatant interest on her face not unlike the other

gossiping women he’d encountered in the past. He was silent for a long while before he answered,

“We’re siblings.”

Josephine did not respond to that. She could acknowledge and accept his definition of their

relationship, but she found that she didn’t particularly like it.

“Siblings?” The woman smiled kindly, her knowing expression undeniably piercing. “You don’t look alike

at all.”

Lewis pressed his lips together.

Josephine, on the other hand, wanted to chat with the old lady, though she couldn’t very well speak on

her own. She tugged at Lewis’ arms and signed, hoping he would translate for her.

As he continued to ignore her, she turned to look at him expectantly, awaiting his response.

After a long moment, Lewis opened his mouth to ask, “Are you two married?”

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The elderly couple laughed.

“Of course we are. We couldn’t very well be siblings at our age, could we?” the old man. answered.

Lewis was hardly affected by his teasing. He continued translating, “And you’re still traveling at this

age?”

Josephine shot him a strange look. Despite the accuracy of his translation, his tone was harsh, as if he

were an officer interrogating a suspect.

The old man didn’t seem to mind though. He glanced at the woman beside him, affection. oozing

through his eyes. It was hard to imagine that kind of love-devotion so pure and true that it transcended

time and age itself. “Yeah,” he replied slowly. “We didn’t get to enjoy life properly when we were young,

but now that we’re older, we realize time indeed flies. Before you know it, you’re faced with the end of

the road, mounds of regret plaguing you, torrents of what-ifs, and the possibility of what you failed to

achieve pulling you

down.”

His enunciations were elegant and verbose, the sign of a well-read man.

“We plan on traveling domestically and visiting the places we once discussed before exploring the

world beyond. We want to see the whole world and feel its vastness at our fingertips. We won’t stop,

and we intend to go on for as far as the heavens allow us to.” He glanced at Lewis and smiled briefly.

“Life is short, youngsters. Don’t leave any room for regret.”

“Aren’t your children worried?” Lewis interrupted.

“They support us because this is our wish.” The old man gripped his wife’s hands tightly. Love shouldn’t

come in shackles. At my age, you’ll realize that it really is as simple as respect. and mutual

understanding.”

They had no regrets at all. Truly, their only regret was the little time they had left to spend in one

another’s company.

The more in love a couple was, the faster time flew by. The contrary happened to those who

weren’t in love.

Something flickered within his eyes, and he lowered his gaze, neither speaking nor translating further

for Josephine.

Envy permeated Josephine’s gaze as well.

She envied their life, but beyond that, she envied the fact that nothing had changed between them,

even after everything they must have gone through. The way the old man looked at his wife carried a

sense of deep love, as if every gaze they shared was as precious as their first.

If she was being honest, she wanted that with Lewis as well.

She wanted him to be holding her hand like this, even when they were both old and gray.